WEI-SHIANG CHANG
COMPOSER
BIO
“ ... A very talented young man with a tremendous technical skill already for such a young age ... might become a powerful man one day in the field of music as a composer ...”
COMPOSER RICHARD DANIELPOUR - JURY COMMENTS
“... It was a certain work with movement that created the atmosphere most … achieving the effect of gusts … an authentic and effective composition.”
KLASIKAPLUS.CZ - NEWS REPORT
Born in 2001, Wei-Shiang Chang (張為祥) is a Taiwanese composer whose music explores imaginative transformations between sonic and perceptual realities. Initially trained as a pianist, he began composing at the age of seventeen, a shift that marked a pivotal moment in his artistic development.
In 2023, Chang received a scholarship from National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) and became the youngest finalist at the Vladimir Mendelssohn International Composition Competition in Italy, where he was awarded second prize. His work attracted the attention of Grammy Award–winning composer Richard Danielpour, who subsequently invited him to study at UCLA.
In 2024, Chang was selected by Unsuk Chin for the WeiWuYing International Music Festival composition workshop, becoming the youngest participant in the program’s history. Later that year, he joined the Hakka Affairs Council × National Symphony Orchestra (NSO): International Composers Workshop, working closely with Jörg Widmann. These experiences provided invaluable mentorship and significantly shaped his compositional voice, particularly his attention to timbre and sonic structure.
Chang’s works have been performed in Taiwan and internationally, including in Korea, Italy, Spain, the Czech Republic, and the United States. His music has been presented by ensembles and orchestras such as the Taiwan Philharmonic, NEC Philharmonic, VICE Ensemble, Ecce Ensemble, Quartetto Klimt, and the Wiener Glasharmonika Duo. In October 2024, he was commissioned by the NTNU Art Museum, under a project supported by the Taipei City Department of Cultural Affairs, to compose a new work for Nuit Blanche Taipei, further establishing his presence in Taiwan’s contemporary music scene.
His orchestral work “In a Distant Valley” received its world premiere at Ostrava Days 2025, with a live broadcast on Czech Radio; the piece had previously been presented in reading sessions with both the Taiwan Philharmonic and the NEC Philharmonic, and was featured in a news report by KlasikaPlus.
A solo work for glass harmonica, commissioned by the Wiener Glasharmonika Duo (Christa & Gerald Schönfeldinger), will be published by Verlagsgruppe Hermann and distributed by Schott Verlag.
Currently, Wei-Shiang Chang is pursuing a Master of Music in Composition at the New England Conservatory (NEC), where he studies with Efstratios Minakakis and John Mallia as a Dean’s Scholar. He has also participated in masterclasses with composers including Rebecca Saunders, Miroslav Srnka, Unsuk Chin, Clemens Gadenstätter, and Lei Liang.
Wei-Shiang Chang continues to expand his artistic horizons, seeking new sonic languages shaped by timbral nuance, perceptual depth, and evolving expressive possibilities...
(Last update: Dec 12, 2025)
